Nishimoto brings best of classics to Shanghai

TOMOMI Nishimoto, the Japanese conductor known for her Russian-style conducting, will present two concerts along with Illuminart Philharmonic at Shanghai Oriental Arts Center on December 25-26.

The program list includes Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 as well as a series of Russian classic works, such as Tchaikovsky’s Fantasy Overture “Romeo and Juliet,” selections from Ballet “The Sleeping Beauty,” selections from Ballet “Swan Lake” and Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade.”

Her curly hair, tail coats and seriousness as she conducts on stage have won Nishimoto lots of fans.

Chiaki Shinichi, the charming character in the popular Japanese animation “Nodame Cantabile,” is said to be based on Nishimoto.

Though she started playing the piano at the age of 3, it was not until years later when her mother took her to a Russian classic ballet that Nishimoto got deeply attracted to the exquisite and elegant classical music.

“I wanted to become a composer and conductor who creates comforting music,” she wrote in her diary.

Noshimoto joined Osaka College of Music to major in composition but gradually started getting interested in conducting. She had her early opera conducting experience at the college as a vice conductor. Later, she went to study opera and conducting at the Saint Petersburg State Conservatory in Russia, and started her formal conducting career in 1998 with the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra.

After working with Japanese and Russian orchestras, Nishimoto founded Illuminart Philharmonic in 2012 with a group of internationally successful musicians to break from conventionalism. The orchestra became the first Asian orchestra to participate in the Vatican International Music Festival’s “Cardinal’s Mass” performance in 2013, and has been performing at the festival every year since then.

Date: December 25-26, 7:30pm

Tickets: 80-1080 yuan

Tel: 6854-1234

Venue: Shanghai Oriental Arts Center

Address: 425 Dingxiang Rd